Gillan weighed in on the group's recently announced honor with a post at his website, calling it a "semi-induction" and referencing the years fans spent clamoring for Rock Hall status by writing, "Putting the past shenanigans to one side, the induction is not — in clear fact — for Deep Purple."

His disgruntlement stems from the Rock Hall's decision to induct a select group of the many members who've filtered through the Deep Purple lineup over the years, including Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Rod Evans, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes and Jon Lord. That leaves out current guitarist Steve Morse, who joined the band in 1994, and keyboard player Don Airey, who's been in the band since 2002 — a selection process Gillan deems "arbitrary" and an insult to a pair of musicians who've long been part of "the living breathing DP."

"Obviously this is very silly, and so my response is quite simple: 'Thank you very much,'" continued Gillan. That note of semi-gratitude notwithstanding, he may have tipped his hand regarding plans for the induction ceremony by adding a personal story that's somewhat similar to the Rock Hall situation.

"This morning I got an invitation to a wedding from some dear old friends. Unfortunately my family was not invited and they said that I would be required to sit next to my ex (we divorced decades ago) at the wedding feast," Gillan wrote. "They were shocked when I called to thank them and decline the invitation."